The best airline credit cards in September 2024
Published 8:50 PM EDT, Tue February 20, 2024
Airline credit cards can be excellent options for travelers who are loyal to a particular airline. With a variety of airline-specific benefits, these cards can provide everything from free checked luggage to airport lounge memberships. But not all credit cards for airline miles are airline-branded. If you’re not a frequent flyer with one airline, the best airline credit card for you may be one that earns flexible points you can use toward flights on any airline.
Our team of experts reviewed dozens of credit cards that either earn airline miles directly or earn points you can use to book flights. We looked at various factors including rewards, day-of-travel benefits and select fees. Using a data-based approach, we narrowed down the list to the top 11 credit cards that scored highly based on our weightings. Read our full methodology below.
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best airline credit card
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Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card: Best for airline transfer partners
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The Platinum Card? from American Express: Best for flexible airline credits
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AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard?: *Best for American Airlines
The information for the AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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United Club? Infinite Card: Best for United Airlines
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Delta SkyMiles? Reserve American Express Card: Best for Delta Air Lines
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Southwest Rapid Rewards? Priority Credit Card: Best for Southwest Airlines
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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card: *Best for Alaska Airlines
The information for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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JetBlue Plus Card: *Best for JetBlue
The information for the JetBlue Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Premier Business Credit Card: Best small-business card
We receive compensation from our partners for Featured Offer placements, which impacts how and where their offer is displayed.
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards? Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO? credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
The Platinum Card? from American Express
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard?
*The information for the AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
United Club? Infinite Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Delta SkyMiles? Reserve American Express Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Southwest Rapid Rewards? Priority Credit Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card
*The information for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
JetBlue Plus Card
*The information for the JetBlue Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Premier Business Credit Card
The CNN Underscored Money editorial team has developed a star rating so you can see the best card for specific categories. While we believe this card excels in this category, its overall star rating may differ.
Our picks at a glance
| Annual fee | Welcome bonus | Best for | Notable feature | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
| $95
| 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
| Airlines
| Flexibility to transfer miles to partners or redeem them directly for travel (including flights)
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Chase Sapphire Preferred? Card
| $95
| 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
| Airline transfer partners
| Wide range of airline transfer partners including United and Southwest
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The Platinum Card? from American Express
| $695
| 80,000 Membership Rewards? points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening
| Flexible airline credits
| Valuable credits and airport lounge access
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AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard?
*
The information for the AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard? has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
| $99
| 60,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening
| American Airlines
| Earn an anniversary companion certificate after spending $20,000 in a calendar year
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United Club? Infinite Card
| $525
| 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
| United Airlines
| Complimentary United Club membership
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Delta SkyMiles? Reserve American Express Card
| $650
| 100,000 miles after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership
| Delta Air Lines
| Complimentary Delta Sky Club membership
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Southwest Rapid Rewards? Priority Credit Card
| $149
| Earn 85,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
| Southwest Airlines
| 7,500 points on each card anniversary
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Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card
*
The information for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
| $95
| buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 50,000 bonus miles with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account
| Alaska Airlines
| Annual companion certificate when you spend $6,000
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JetBlue Plus Card
*
The information for the JetBlue Plus Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
| $99
| 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days
| JetBlue
| 10% rebate on points redeemed for JetBlue flights
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Aeroplan? Credit Card
| $95
| 70,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
| International airline
| Redeem points for 1.25 cents each to cover travel purchases
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Southwest? Rapid Rewards? Premier Business Credit Card
| $99
| 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open
| Small businesses
| Earns unlimited tier-qualifying points toward elite status
|
How do airline credit cards work?
Airline cards work much like other types of credit cards. You can also expect to:
- Earn miles for purchases: Every time you make a purchase with your airline credit card, you’ll earn miles or points. How many points or miles you earn will depend on what you’re buying, but you tend to earn at the card’s maximum rate with eligible travel purchases.
- Receive airline-specific benefits: Airline co-branded credit cards may offer card holders benefits such as free checked baggage, companion travel certificates, priority boarding, airport lounge access and discounts on in-flight purchases.
- Redeem miles in many ways: You can always redeem the miles that you earn for flight tickets, but other redemption options may include flight upgrades, hotel bookings, checked luggage and flight seat selection.
Airline credit card benefits
As a card holder, you can expect a variety of benefits from your airline credit card. Not all cards offer the same benefits; here are some of the most common:
- Welcome offers that provide a lump sum of miles after meeting a minimum spend threshold
- Miles on purchases with the airline and on everyday spend
- Travel protections such as trip cancellation/interruption insurance and baggage delay insurance
- Airline-specific benefits with airline co-branded cards, such as:
- Free checked luggage
- Priority check-in
- Priority boarding
- In-flight discounts
- Airline-branded airport lounge membership
- Ability to earn elite status either automatically or by meeting spend requirements
- Benefits of travel credit cards that earn flexible points, such as:
- Statement credits for airline incidental fees or airfare
- Airport lounge membership (such as Priority Pass)
- Ability to use points toward travel bookings through the issuer’s travel portal
- Ability to transfer points to select airline and hotel loyalty programs
Co-branded airline credit cards vs. general travel rewards credit cards
Co-branded airline credit cards earn airline-specific miles with every purchase you make. These cards may be a good fit if you tend to travel with a single airline.
But if you want more choices, look for cards that earn flexible point currencies. These options come from issuers such as American Express and Chase, which have a variety of airline and hotel partners when it comes time to redeem your points.
The value of a transferable point currency comes from its flexibility. For example, if you’re earning American Express Membership Rewards points, you can convert them into Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Avios, JetBlue TrueBlue points and even Hilton Honors points, among other options.
The downside to general travel rewards credit cards is that you won’t be getting the same airline-specific perks as you would with an airline co-branded credit card. This means that if you regularly need to check luggage or use a club lounge with one airline, for example, a co-branded airline credit card might be a better option for you.
Also, airline miles aren’t completely restricted. Many airlines belong to an airline alliance, such as Star Alliance, which means you can book award flights on any member airline using miles from another airline in the same alliance.
How to choose the right airline credit card for you
If you’re looking to get a credit card that’s good for using with airlines, consider a few questions.
- How often do you travel? Many of the best airline credit cards charge annual fees. If you don’t travel much, you’ll want to be extra sure this cost is worth it. Beyond an annual fee, the value of perks such as free checked bags and discounts on in-flight purchases will vary depending on how often you travel.
- Where are you located? Each airline has its own hubs — think Atlanta for Delta Air Lines, Dallas for American Airlines and Chicago for United Airlines. If you opt for an airline co-branded card, you’ll want to make sure your home airport is serviced by that airline.
- How much time do you spend at the airport? Do you arrive early and spend a lot of time at the gate? In this case, getting a credit card that offers airport lounge access may be worthwhile for you.
- What does your credit score look like? Many high-end travel rewards credit cards require good to excellent credit. Review your credit score and take steps, if necessary, to improve it.
- Where are you looking to travel? Not all airline miles are equal. You’ll want to do the research to investigate about how many miles it’ll take to get where you’d like to go. Then, compare options to find a card that matches your needs.
- Do you buy travel insurance? If you’re a repeat purchaser of travel insurance, getting a card that offers it for free can help save you a bundle over time.
How to avoid common mistakes with airline credit cards
With all the choices available to you, it’s easy to make a mistake with a credit card. It might be tempting to apply for a card that advertises a big sign-up bonus or fancy benefits, but if it’s hard to use your miles or you don’t travel enough to justify paying an annual fee, it won’t be worth it. Avoid common credit card mistakes by doing your research and only opening a card once you’ve investigated all its features, benefits and how much use you’ll be able to get from them.
Common issues that can crop up with co-branded airline cards include getting a card for an airline that doesn’t serve your home airport, opening a premium credit card without a way to use its perks or accruing miles for a single airline when earning flexible points would have made more sense.
You’ll also want to look closely at the fine print on your card’s benefits. For example, you’ll only get a free checked bag from eligible Chase United credit cards if you use the card to pay for your ticket. And to access Sky Club lounges with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, you’ll need to be flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or operated flight, and not on a basic economy fare.
How to maximize airline credit card rewards
Maximizing your airline miles can take some effort, especially if you’re not familiar with how travel rewards programs work. Before making any redemptions with your miles, you’ll want to do some research on your airline’s loyalty program. Each airline has its own rules and sweet spots for rewards, so it’s important not to skip this step. Learning how many miles a reward typically costs will give you a solid idea of where your miles will get you.
Methodology
Our money and data analytics teams reviewed over 70 airline credit cards — from co-branded cards with major airlines such as United and Delta to cards that earn transferable, flexible points. We narrowed down our list to pick the best airline credit cards in different categories by giving them a star rating out of five, based on the following factors and our editorial judgment:
Sign-up bonus value (25%)
Earning a big credit card sign-up bonus offer can get you enough miles or points to start traveling right away. We assigned a dollar value to each bonus based on points valuations from travel website The Points Guy, and gave higher scores to cards with higher potential returns.
Rewards value (25%)
We used spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and estimates of rewards values from The Points Guy to determine which cards offer the most rewards value. A good airline credit card doesn’t just offer a bonus on airfare or travel purchases, so cards that offer higher rewards in other everyday spending categories, such as gas and dining, got ranked higher here.
Benefits (25%)
One of the big reasons to consider an airline credit card is the travel benefits you’ll get. We gave significant weight to day-of-travel benefits, such as free checked bags, priority boarding, lounge access and in-flight discounts. Added perks and protections such as the ability to earn elite status, travel insurance and purchase protections were included in this category as well.
Select fees (20%)
You’ll see that all of the cards on our list charge an annual fee, which is typical for top credit cards that offer substantial travel perks. Paying an annual fee is worth it if the benefits you receive outweigh the yearly cost, so we looked at the potential value you can get from each card — for example, if you’d otherwise pay for checked luggage, a credit card that offers free checked bags can pay for itself in just a couple of trips. Cards with the best overall value for the money got a leg up in this category, as did cards with no annual fee. Cards that charge foreign transaction fees scored lower here.
Statement credits and bonuses (5%)
Some cards offer annual statement credits toward travel purchases or airline fees, while others reward you for meeting spending thresholds or making certain purchases. These cards got a boost in this category.
What didn’t make the cut
We evaluated co-branded cards from all of the major airlines, and flexible points cards from the major issuer programs. While the cards below all offer solid rewards and benefits, they fell a bit short compared to our top picks:
Please note: The Southwest Rapid Rewards? Premier Credit Card is currently unavailable through this site.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards? Premier Credit Card * The information for the Southwest Rapid Rewards? Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : Although this card works for occasional flyers, the benefits of the higher-end Southwest Priority Credit Card more than outweigh its increased annual fee.
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® * The information for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by CNN Underscored. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. : While it features some similar AA benefits as our pick, this card lacks travel insurance and the ability to earn a companion certificate.
- Delta SkyMiles? Gold American Express Card: Again, the higher-end Delta SkyMiles Reserve’s benefits outweigh the increased cost of our card pick.
- United? Explorer Card: This option may save you money on checked bag fees, but it misses the mark with perks like lounge access.
- British Airways Visa Signature? Card: This is a great option for collecting Avios but US travelers may not want a card for a non-North American airline.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
While you can’t transfer miles you’ve earned with one airline to another, using them for some bookings is possible, thanks to airline partnerships. For example, if you earn United Airlines miles with your credit card, you can redeem them for flights with United as well as all of its partners. This includes other members of the Star Alliance, such as ANA and Lufthansa. It also includes some non-alliance partners, such as Aer Lingus.
The value of an airline mile varies based on each airline. Some airlines have more variable mile values than others. For example, according to travel website The Points Guy, you can expect to get an average value of 1.2 cents per Delta mile, and 1.55 cents per American Airlines mile.
It’s possible to use airline miles for hotel stays, but this often isn’t a good value for your miles compared to flight redemptions.
There are co-branded airline credit cards that also provide travel insurance coverage. For example, the United Explorer Card offers reimbursement for trip delay, trip cancellation, lost luggage, rental car damage and more. What you’re entitled to will vary based on which card you hold and what part of your trip (partial or whole, for example) you pay for with your card, so you’ll want to check your guide to benefits to be sure.
Yes, it’s possible to earn airline elite status just by spending on a credit card. But, ultimately, it depends on whether your credit card offers this feature. For example, cards that earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles also earn elite-qualifying Loyalty Points for every dollar spent. Earning enough Loyalty Points in a given year will entitle you to American Airlines elite status.
All information about AAdvantage? Aviator? Red World Elite Mastercard?, Alaska Airlines Visa Signature? credit card, Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, JetBlue Plus Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards? Premier Credit Card has been collected independently by CNN Underscored.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines, hotel chain, or other commercial entity and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of such entities.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended and should not be understood to constitute financial, investment, insurance or legal advice. All individuals are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified financial professional before making any financial, insurance or investment decisions.
Note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed or may no longer be available.
